Complications
by NekoRamenNinja
Summary: Miku is just another ordinary girl at Crypton University, with a crush on the school's most popular boy, Kaito Shion. His feelings aren't exactly the same toward her, but what will happen when Miku decides she's over him, once and for all?
1. Chapter 1

It had always been my dream to be a singer, a person with what one could call "real talent". I had started singing when I was four, my voice being able to go from the highest notes to the lowest ones seemingly without effort. I was a musical prodigy, with everything besides one characteristic. Beauty. It was what I lacked, I was always plain. Even as I sit here, in my front-row seat at Crypton University, I look around and compare myself to every girl sitting around me.

There's beautiful Luka Megurine, with her flowing pink hair and gorgeous blue eyes, Teto Kasane with her cute "twin drill" pigtails that she's taken a habit to twirling when she's nervous, Sweet Ann, beautiful blonde, who's name states all. There's Rin Kagamine, my best friend, with short blonde hair and a cute smile, Meiko Sakine, with her brown bob-cut and pouty red lips, and even Gumi, the oddball out of all of us, has her own cuteness and unique style. Maybe you're more interested in my story now, maybe not. Maybe you're only interested in the girls that I'm mentioning now, and not me. There's a lot of "maybes" out there in the world, but I ought to tell you what my name is, since it's _my_ story. Well then, if you're so curious, then fine! My name is Miku Hatsune.

I was always the plain one, with long aquamarine hair that reached past my waist, always braided in a single braid down my back. My eyes were of the same color as my hair, and were my best features. Unlike the rest of the girls at class Vocal-1 Crypton, I was more of a daydreamer, and I thought of the wildest things, when everyone else was down-to-earth serious. However, this didn't mean that they couldn't have fun. Once in a while, Meiko would throw a huge party and everyone would dance and sing all night, to whatever they wanted.

"Oi! Hey everyone," the door slammed open and we all turned as Kaito and his crew sauntered in, smirks on faces and eyes oh-so-serious, when their thoughts were obviously not. My heart skipped a beat. _Kaito_. Just his name could make me melt. Shion Kaito, the most popular boy in all CU. He hung out with his friends, Len and Gakupo, and was always, always on my mind. But of course, he didn't like me back. _Probably_. The guys knew who he liked, but no one else was sure exactly. It was the obsession of many girls, including me, even if I didn't show the interest that the others certainly did.

"Hey, Kaito!" I smiled. "Why so late, eh?" Kaito laughed, and slid into the vacant seat next to mine. We were friends, but only friends. He grinned at me, laughing, and said. "Late? I'm not late." I laughed along with him. "Hey! Vocal-1 class! Pay attention!" the teacher rapped a ruler on my desk, causing me to flinch. Get into your small groups and start rehearsing your songs! The state-wide competition is next Friday, and remember, Crypton cannot be beaten! Try your best and good luck."

Teto, Rin, and I were in one small group. We all had our solos, and we already knew the order in which we would perform. It started with me, singing "1/6", then Teto, singing "Po Pi Po", would go, and Rin, singing "I like you I love you" would come last. We would finish with a group song, "Triple Baka". Rin looked over at me. "Rehearsal one, take one. Miku?" she asked questioningly, with a glance that read, "Are you ready?" I nodded and took a deep breath as the music played. "Itsuka Juuryoku No Kusari wo, Tachikiri Kimi wo Tsurete Satellito…!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Baka, Baka, Baka!"

Rin and I chuckled as we walked down the street. I was finishing off my mint-chocolate ice-cream, and Rin was sipping on a box of juice. Orange juice.

"Good rehearsal today," she said absentmindedly. "You did well, Miku."

"You were better!" I laughed, catching the drips of mint-y chocolate-y goodness as they melted and oozed down the waffle cone.

"What? I like you I love you? Please," Rin smiled. "That's the only song in which I can stutter and blush without getting anything wrong." She sang a line of her song, stumbling on purpose. "Ano ne atashi, anata no koto… su susu su su susu … suki DAISUKI!" she blurted, and we both laughed until we ran out of breath. Rin wiped her eyes, and took a sip of her orange juice.

"By the way, Rin..." I muttered. "How's… Len?"

Rin gasped, and stood there choking on her orange juice for about ten seconds, her face turning a bright tomato red.

"What kind of question is that?" she gasped after she recovered, sending me her death glare.

I threw my hands up in a surrender. "A normal one?" I replied, answering her question. Rin's had a crush on Len since the beginning of the year, and the two were pretty friendly toward each other.

"Pfft…" Rin frowned, blushing. "He's doing fine, I guess. How's…" She smirked at me. "Kaito?"

"You know he doesn't like me."

"You never know."

"He probably likes someone else."

"You don't know that."

"Mmhmm."

"Nuh-uh!"

We continued arguing on the sidewalk for a moment, shouting does not's and does too's at each other, before Rin shut up for a second and blushed pink.

"C-can I tell you something, Miku-chan?"

Rin shifted in her spot for a second and refused to look in my eye. I had a dreaded, sinking feeling in my chest that wouldn't lighten up. I swallowed the lump in my throat and murmured,

"Yeah… Anything."

"I…I know who Kaito likes…" She shot a look at me and quickly looked back down.

"Who?" I whispered, staring at her, thinking, _how could she, how could she keep this from me, and how long has she known?_

Rin looked around, cupped her hands around my ear, and stood there for a moment, breathing slowly.

"M…" she cleared her throat and proceeded.

"Meiko." she whispered, and stepped away.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the delay! I was pretty busy so I didn't have much time to upload... And extreme apologies for the short-ness of this chapter, and how bad it is. This chapter is basically something in between chapters 2 and 4 to "link" them together, I guess. I'll have chapter 4 up soon, but for now enjoy reading this (extremely short) chapter (:

* * *

The sun shone through the curtains and the rays of light startled me awake. I blinked and rolled over in bed, groaning. What time was it? Where was I? Then it all came back to me.

I vaguely remembered Rin telling me that he liked Meiko. Kaito, they boy I liked – no, loved, liked Meiko, Meiko Sakine. I also remembered bursting into tears and running all the way home, where I fell onto my bed and locked myself in my room for the rest of the night. Thank goodness it was a Saturday. But really, why Meiko?

Yuck.

I rubbed my eyes, rolled out of my bed and walked down to the bathroom to brush my hair, which had so many tangles that it was almost impossible to comb it all, and wash my face, which looked like it had been dunked in water and left there to soak for a couple of days.

In other words, I looked like trash.

As soon as my hair resumed its normal turquoise waterfall state, and my face began to resemble a face again, and not so much a potato, I started downstairs, where I found Neru, my sister, texting. She took one look at me in my red-faced, teary-eyed glory and offered to make me breakfast. I nodded.

Neru wasn't a singing prodigy like I was, she was a mathematical prodigy. She went to a school where a bunch of geniuses like her went, and studied things like science and math, and mostly computer science. It was basically the CUES (Crypton University of Extraordinary Singers) of mathematics. I finished the two leek onigiris that Neru gave me, and I started back upstairs. At the top step, I turned around to face her. She looked up from her phone.

"Thanks." I called.

She nodded, smiled, and went back to her phone.

I smiled faintly back at her, even though she wasn't looking.

I guess it was pretty nice having a younger sister.


	4. Chapter 4

sorry for the short chapter xP

* * *

I spent the weekend with my sister, which was a great break from the cold reality that I faced at school. Neru, whom I always referred to as my "snobby little sister" turned out to be the best pair of ears I could get to listen.

That weekend strengthened the bond between my sister and I, and I realized as we sat in the park, pushed each other on the swings, rode our bikes around town, and gazed at the shape shifting clouds, that I would never look at her the same way ever again.

On Monday, as I trudged to school, I fished out the note that Neru had given me and unfolded it, about to read the contents of the letter when I saw Kaito and Meiko walking to school together. My fingers closed around the note and it crumpled as I stared at gorgeous, snobby, flirtatious Meiko with Kaito. My Kaito! I felt like I was about to cry when I shook off the sight and uncrumpled Neru's message.

"Hey nee-chan, just wanted to let you know I packed your favorite leek onigiri & bento today! Hope you like it (:"  
"PS: don't let that Kaito guy bring you down! Remember, theres always another cute guy around the corner! hehe ^^ XOX Neru"

I smiled and refolded the paper.

"Thanks, Neru." I whispered to the wind.

xXx

At the very moment I stepped into the classroom, I got attacked by Rin.

"Miku! Miku, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

I looked at her for a moment and bit my lip. Hesitating, I turned around and sat in my seat, my head turned from both her and Kaito. I could feel her eyes on my back but I refused to turn around, afraid of what she would say next, and afraid of what I would say if I had to face her.

After class, Rin ran up to me and began apologizing again. This time around, however, I accepted her apology and uttered one line: "It's okay..." when what I really wanted to ask was, "So, what else are you hiding from me?"


	5. Chapter 5

All around the school, I heard two names whispered everywhere:

"Kaito... Meiko..."

"Good couple?"

"They're so cute together!"

My spirits sunk, was I the only one who hadn't known? In the yard outside, the so called "popular" group was playing a random game so I decided to come listen, as did everyone else. Gakupo pointed at Kaito, who was sitting in the middle of the crowd of people, and said, "So, who do you think would make a good couple with Kaito here?" Almost immediately, choruses of "Meiko!" were shouted out.

Kaito stuttered, "No..." and Meiko joined in, the two of them blushing and fending off the onward shouts of "Meiko and Kaito, Meiko and Kaito!"

Miki from class Vocal-2, who was silent until now, spoke up, saying, "I think Miku looks good with him." Kaito grinned, "Finally, someone says something different."

Was that all I was to him? "Someone different"? My smile wavered, and as they continued their talk, I slipped to the side.

Kaito came over to the benches where I was a few minutes later to take a break from talking. As he bent over the water fountain and drank water, I stared wistfully at the guy whom I loved - but loved someone else. He was about to walk back, but turned around when I called out.

"Hey, heard you like Meiko."

He laughed and said, "Don't mind them, I dont like her."

"It shows." I smiled, and it did. He was always carrying things for her, and buying random things for her, too. I couldn't see why I hadn't seen the evidence earlier.

"I don't like her, and she doesn't like me."

"I'm sure she does."

"I don't like her!"

"You do - I can tell."

He hesitated for a second, and then finally whispered, "Fine... break my heart, will you? I like Meiko, but she doesn't like me back..."

I stared at him, suprised that he actually confessed.

"I-It's okay..."

"It's not okay! I like her, but I know that she doesn't feel the same way."

And even though I didn't realize it right then, from that day on, I became his confident... the one that would know all his secrets...


	6. Chapter 6

I sat at my desk, daydreaming. What more could I ask for? The guy of my dreams telling me everything... I blushed madly and scribbled down some math problems. I finally set down the pencil with a soft thump. I sighed, looking outside.

It was so calm, almost peaceful. I could almost see the white bench outside of the school, the one with peeling paint and slightly rusted handles that sat under the sakura blossoms. Kaito and I always sat there when we talked.

I stared down at my paper, confused emotions and thoughts swimming in my heart.

What use was it, really? I recalled my previous days of bliss, talking to him during all the recesses, laughing over random things on the phone...

But, all that talk was about Meiko. Sometimes about other things, but mostly her. Meiko, Meiko, Meiko... His life was revolving around her, you could even call it obsession if you wanted.

I recalled the jolt I had gotten one time when he asked me who I liked, out of the blue.

"Miku... that's enough about me, what about you? Who do you like?"

I remember getting flustered and blushing, staring down at my lap.

"Ummmm, I can't tell you that."

I changed the subject.

xXx

The next day at school, Rin came up to my desk and exclaimed,

"Miku-ne! He's not admitting anything!"

She pouted and shot a look at a grinning Kaito. I smirked at him for a split second before turning my attention back to Rin. Rolling her eyes, she scribbled sloppily on my paper:

"I don't understand why he'd like Meiko."

Out loud, she whispered to me, "She's such a flirt", pronouncing the syllables slowly as if she were tasting the feel of her statement for the first time.

I flashed a grin at her.

"Flirt? I don't-"

I turned just in time to see her giggling and beaming at Kiyoteru, much to Kaito's dismay. I blinked and turned back to a smiling Rin, who had an "I told you so" face on.

"Maybe." I smirked.


	7. Chapter 7

Dear reviewers: Thank you guys sooooo much for all the reviews! Originally I was thinking about putting off my writing for a while, but after reading all the revs, I was really happy (: Thanks again for motivating me to continue~!

By the way, this (extraordinarily short) chappie is supposed to be in third person :P

With Love, Neko-chan

* * *

"He said hi to me today!"

Rin collapsed into her chair, giddy with happiness. Len Kagamine, the boy whom she loved with all her heart, had actually taken the time to say hi to her.

It wasn't like he was snobby and never bothered to talk to non-popular people, it was just, well, it was just as if he was always suddenly shy around her.

People always teased her about him, especially Teto. She loathed all the teasing, wished that it would stop, but it never did. She hated people for that, sometimes.

It was like this last year when she had a crush on Kiyoteru, everyone teased her constantly. Kiyoteru, however, liked to make the lives of people who liked him living Hell. It wasn't exactly the greatest year for Rin.

Rin smiled and sighed. This year was different, though. She was absolutely sure that she had chosen the right guy to like. They were absolutely perfect for each other, they shared the same last names (although they were not related), and they had so many things in common...

Suddenly, a message popped up on her computer screen. Rin swiveled around in her chair to look at her screen. It was an instant message from someone not on her contacts list. She immediately typed in her regular answer for unknown people, and turned back around to daydream.

**LENKAG**: hi, Kagamine-san! (:

**SUKI_DAISUKI**: who are you?

After a second, Rin blinked in realization. Wait, "LenKag"? Len Kagamine?

"Crap!" She muttered, and hurriedly typed in an apology.

**SUKI_DAISUKI**: oops! Sorry Len xP I wasn't looking at the user.. haha...

**LENKAG**: Haha, no problem (: I'm bored... wanna talk?

**SUKI_DAISUKI**: hehe, sure (:

They continued talking, even past midnight...


	8. Chapter 8

The next day in class, I arrived to a hysterical Rin. By hysterical, I mean hysterically happy. Rin just about gushed as she told me about her night talking to Len. I laughed, jokingly saying that soon they would be a couple. She flushed and punched me lightly, looking around to make sure that there was no one else listening.

As Len entered, I grinned as he immediately got surrounded by his friends. He blushed, looking at the ground as he fidgeted. He was a shy one, I mused. I noticed that he kept on looking at Rin, and realized with glee that he probably liked her too.

"Hey!" the teacher shouted, "Quiet down!"

"Hai, Sensei." we muttered as the chatter died down and we returned to our seats.

After the first class, I rushed outside, eager to talk to Kaito, I frankly didn't care if he jabbered on and on about Meiko, I just wanted to talk to him.

"Kaito!" I called.

"Hey." he smiled, but it looked forced, almost as if he didn't want to talk to me. I knew him well enough to memorize his emotions and see that this smile wasn't real.

"It's so sunny today!" I said cheerfully. "Thank goodness it's not raining anymore, although I like rain too..."

"Uh, yeah." he said gruffly, looking to his right. "Umm, I have to go. See you.." he muttered.

"Bye, Kaito-kun!" I chirped cheerfully, waving. He didn't look back.

I was about to turn and go back into the classroom when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kaito running up to Meiko.

"Hey Meiko..." he called, "Wait up!"

It suddenly struck me that he didn't have to go at all, it was just that he had spotted Meiko... I felt emotions clawing at my heart and tears welling up in my eyes. As the tears spilled down my cheeks, I watched them cross the field and disappear, laughing.

"He doesn't give a damn, does he?" I whispered. My voice came back to me, and I forced it out, making it sound weak and choked up, which was how I was feeling.

"He never gave a damn!" I whispered fiercely. "He only talked to me because I was the only one around, if Meiko was ever around..." my voice faltered and I sunk down in the grass.

"Kaito Shion," I sobbed, "you never cared about me, did you? You..." I stared as my tears made the colors in front of me swim and blur.  
"Kaito, I hate you!"


	9. Chapter 9

Dear Readers:

Ok, I know that so far in the story, things are kinda flowing along pretty smoothly, but in this chapters, and the next few chappies, theres going to be some changes. HUGE ones. But don't worry, I know what I'm doing (: Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for all the revvies, I really appreciate them!

With Love,

Neko-chan

* * *

I had been acting strangely all week, and I knew it. I wasn't my usual cheery, chirpy self. Instead, I was mopey, and I dragged myself around and didn't really put as much effort into singing. My voice was hoarse, and the same question was asked over and over again:

"Miku! Are you okay?"

The answer was clearly, plainly, no.

I wouldn't talk about it. It was none of their business. The only person I shared my sorrows with was Rin, and even she couldn't listen too well at times.

She was too busy with Len.

So, while I felt the sickening love in the air, no one felt my spirits sinking or heard my heart thud slowly and painfully, weighed down with heavy memories. No one felt my pain.

It was because of Kaito. I loved him, but he didn't give a care in the world. But, as I look now, I think... do I really?

Love him, I mean. Do I?

I did love him, I know that for sure that I used to, I cared and cried over him way too much to deny that. But now, when I think of him, that spark isn't there.

When I picture his face, that pang wasn't there.

When I talked to him, the gnawing feeling at my heart was absent.

What was there was emptiness. Complete, utter silence, and a feeling of bitterness. It felt like dry sawdust, yet tasted somewhat of sweet revenge.

As if I were announcing, "Hey, Kaito! I loved you, I really did, and I cared for you a lot, too! But guess what? You never cared about me, so you know what? It's over, it's done with. I don't like you anymore."

That's what it was, what it felt like: a bittersweet sense of triumph.

But, as I was drifting away from Kaito, I was moving toward someone else. Someone else with light, lavender colored hair and a deep laugh. Someone carefree and funny. Someone who went by the name of Gakupo.

Now, we had become closer friends, occasionally chatting and talking a little over the phone.

However, just because I'd gotten someone else to chat with sometimes didn't mean that the pain had disappeared.

My cellphone rang, the screen lighting up and flashing, announcing the caller's name in bright bursts of light and swirls of colors, buzzing with excitement.

a call from:

Rin Kagamine

I smiled, picked up the phone, eager to hear the voice of my best friend.

Her voice crackled a little as I answered her call.

"Hey! MikuMiku!"

"Oi."

"Hey, you've been looking a bit down these days, you alright?"

I paused. I had told her about Kaito. Did she not realize how big of an impact that the incident had left me with?"

"Hello?"

I realized that I had left her hanging.

"Oh sorry, Rin, I'm fine."

I lied, just to see what her reaction would be.

"Oh okay! Hey, today Len..."

I frowned at the phone, no longer feeling as happy, no longer wanting to talk when I had nothing to say. Wouldn't she ask more about me? Did she not realize how sad I was? Did she really only want to talk about Len?

"Hey... My mom's calling me. I'll talk to you later."

"Oh, sure! Bye!"

"Goodbye."

I ended the call, and flopped down on my bed, sighing.

Why wouldn't anyone listen?

Why doesn't anyone understand?


	10. Chapter 10

Dear Readers:

If you pay close attention to what I write, you'll find connections to the places they go, etc (:  
(written in third person)

* * *

Rin smiled as she greeted Len. Len, the boy that she's had a crush on since the beginning of the year.

"Let's talk."

He often said to her, leading her to that bench under the sakura tree. It was old, the white paint chipping off, but it seemed to give off a sense of security and happiness, although Rin could feel some bitterness also.

Len sat down on the bench, his fingers tapping on the rusted handles, his eyes drifting across the scenery and landing on Rin.

She blushed a scarlet color, turning away.

Rin wondered if Miku minded that she always spent so much time with Len. Probably not, she decided. She's probably too busy with Kaito, as it is...

She never suspected that Miku was at home, crying over a broken heart.

Len was thinking about the somewhat comforting silence, and the wind drifting across the school campus.

Little did he know that at his house, Kaito was pacing back and forth, waiting for a call from Meiko that never came.

Breaking the silence, Len blurted out, "Nice day out today."

Rin smirked and said, "Yeah, but the wind messes up my hair."

They both laughed awkwardly, but continued the conversation.

They rambled on and on, talking about music, different TV shows that they watched, books they read, things they did in their spare time, and most of all, life.

They said that life was unfair, it was cruel, nothing in life was exactly appealling, but it certainly had its ups and downs.

Then, they finally landed on the topic of crushes.

"So," he said, "I heard that you used to like Kiyoteru.."

If she had looked closely, she'd have seen the faint blush of jealousy that crossed his face.

"Yeah, I did, but not anymore.."

If he had bothered to meet her eyes, he would have noticed the slight look of annoyance that flitted across her features.

"Do you like anyone?" Rin was curious, she leaned forward, awaiting his answer.

"Y-yes..." he blushed and fidgeted, looking down at his hands. A thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he mumbled, "Heard a rumor that you like me.."

Rin glanced up sharply, face flushing pink. "W-who told you that?"

Len shrugged, "It was a rumor, it went around... but, is it true?" He looked up expectantly.

She bit her lip, hesitating a moment, then blurted, "Yes!"

Len stared at her, dumbfounded. "Yes?" he asked.

"Y-yes I like you." she muttered. "D-do... do you like me?"

Len sat there, staring at his hands.

"I...uh..."  
Rin's heart sank, and she felt the blood rushing to her face, and her eyes beginning to brim over with tears.

"I'll take that as a no." she said quietly.

He looked up sharply. "What?"

"I'll take that as a no." she repeated, this time louder.

"Oh, it's not that!" he said loudly, then clapped a hand to his mouth. "Damn, I've just given it away."

Rin's mouth opened in suprise. "You... like me?"

Len's face flushed and he nodded, turning towards Rin. Their eyes met.

"Ever since the beginning of the year." he whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

Woahhh... I can't believe that I'm already on my 11th chapter of this story! o_o

Haha.. Some big changes in this chappie (not in writing style, but things are going in weird directions..)

Ahhh it feels nice to be typing on the pc, I wrote chapters 4 - 11 on my ipod touch, and I'm probably going to be doing most of my writing on that o_o

sigh... after typing too much on the ipod, your hands get cramped up -.-''

well, I hope you enjoy this chapter! (:

Love,

Neko-chan

* * *

I stared at the clock, the second hand ticking slowly as the teacher pointed at the board, shouting about equations using fractions and whatnot. Finally, after what seemed like agonizing hours, the minute hand clicked into place, and the bell rang, signalling the end of math class.

I picked up my binder and shifted in place as I waited for the line of drowsy classmates to file out the door. My eyes darted to the side, and I smiled as I saw a wisp of lavender hair curl out the door and the boy who owned the head of hair sail down the hallway, shouting something to Kaito.

Gakupo.

It had started out as a friendship, someone to talk to to pass the time. But, now, I wasn't so sure what I thought of him.

I remember entering homeroom, tired but feeling much better, when suddenly Rin rushed over to me.

"He likes me!" she whispered fiercely. I stared back in shock.

"Wha-?"

"I told him I liked him! I don't know, it just slipped out." she explained. "And then, I asked if he liked me back, and... he- it just kind of slipped out too, I guess, for him."

I blinked at her, awed by her fortune, amazed at how lucky she was. I grinned at her, a full grin, and laughed, "Congrats! That's awesome." I smirked, but even behind my smile, and even though I really was happy for her, my heart still sank in my chest.

Why was she always so lucky, while I was left out like this?

After homeroom, I told her all about Kaito, and how I was over him. Rin smiled.

"That's right, you don't need him!" she sang, "You're too good for him!"

It was a great feeling, knowing that you weren't bound by the crush on the guy who you knew you would never have, the guy whom you had liked for over a year, the one who had made you cry countless times, but didn't know it.

Rin caught me after math.

"Hey, why do you look so dazed? Like a deer in headlights." she joked, flashing a smile as we walked down the hallway toward the cafeteria. I laughed as we went in the lunchline, tapping our feet impatiently, as the line was long.

"So, you see..." I started, but was interrupted. By Sweet Ann. She waltzed across the floor, hair blowing back, and landed right next to us in line.

"Hey." She flashed a grin, showing her teeth.

"Hi, Sweet Ann." I muttered. Rin frowned. Sweet Ann waved her fingers and singing, "See you, Miku, Rin!" she dashed away.

Sweet Ann was Rin's best friend, or had used to be, last year. They used to be inseparable, always going to places together. But, something happened between them.

Sweet Ann talked about Rin behind her back, went to places without her, and hung out with Kiyoteru just because she knew that it would make her jealous. Rin became fed up with her, they argued, then Ann left Rin and became friends with Miki. Rin became friends with me.

Rin and I picked up the bentos that were waiting for us, paid, and left. We ate in silence for a few moments.

"So...?" Rin questioned after a minute of eating.

"So." I swallowed my rice, and looked up at her for a moment.

"I think I like Gakupo."


	12. Chapter 12

FRIGGIN LONG CHAPTER XD (for me, that is. it's a lot longer than my other ones xP)

From now on, I'm officially going to attempt to write longer chapters xD Sorry if my attempts fail in the future though, haha.

If I don't publish as often/quickly anymore, it's probably because of school and homework. (and tests, I had finals this week -_-)

I currently have an idea for a new ffn called "Wherever My Gun Points", which I might publish if I get some more inspiration. But don't worry, Complications comes first on my list! (:

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

w/ love,

Neko-chan

* * *

"Gakupo?"

"For the fiftieth time, yes!"

I glared at Rin as she giggled to herself.

"Sorry, sorry," she said. "I just find it a bit hard to believe."

I rolled my eyes. We were walking home after a contest rehersal, and she had been bombarding me with questions.

"So you're really over Kaito?"

"Yes."

"Why Gakupo?"

"He's funny, nice, caring... He talks to me a lot more than Kaito ever did."

"Since when?"

"I don't know... A week?"

"You think he likes you back?"

"I really don't know. He used to talk to me a lot, though... it's a possibility."

It was true. Last year, he would often run up to me, calling, "Miku! Miku! Hey wait up!" and we'd talk for hours, often for no reason at all. At the time, I was infatuated with Kaito, so I might not have noticed anything, but now as I look back... there was a big possibility that Gakupo had liked me that year.

Maybe this year too, who knew?

I sighed dreamily as we proceeded to walk down the sidewalk, Rin with her bag swinging from her shoulder, eating an orange, and myself with my backpack, drinking chocolate milk. Rin smiled, finishing off her orange and tossing the peels in her bag.

"Hey," she said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "My house is right here, I've got to go. See you tomorrow, remember to practice your piece!"

"See you," I said, waving goodbye. I watched her disappear into her house.

When I got home, I took out my math homework, scribbling complicated equations, totalling outcomes and solving complex problems while thinking everything over.

I had a lot on my mind, and as I looked down at my paper with all the scribbles, figures, calculations, and numbers on it, I was suprised to see that I had finished the homework. I slammed my textbook shut. I needed some fresh air.

I ran outside in a white skirt, a cream-colored sweater, and a brown scarf. Walking through the park was just what I needed to calm my nerves and relax from the stress of a ton of homework and the upcoming singing competition. I sat down on a nearby park bench, closing my eyes and leaning back, just relaxing. Suddenly I heard my name being called.

"Miku...? Is that you?"

I blinked my eyes open sleepily. I saw a figure with a white coat and blue scarf looming over me.

"Hey, it is you!"

"Huh?"

I sat up quickly, almost colliding with the person standing before me.

"Kaito?" I asked.

"That's me!" he smirked.

Kaito stood there in front of me, smiling before sitting down in the space next to me.

"What are you doing at the park?"

"Calming my nerves. Relieving stress," I murmured quietly.

"Stress?" he asked.

"Tension, too," I added.

"In other words, to get away from life," he smiled.

"You could put it that way," I grinned.

"Hey, you looked really happy today."

"I was," I smiled, thinking immediately about Gakupo. Suddenly, I had the urge to tell him everything.

After all, hadn't he told me everything also?

"I like someone," I smiled.

"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow. I laughed.

"Yeah, but it's someone different from who I liked last year."

I saw a light flicker through his eyes. Realization maybe, or curiosity.

I paused. I was over him, I really was. So why couldn't I tell him that I liked him? Why not give it a shot? I grinned. I felt giddy and daring, as if I could do anything in the whole world.

He looked over at me.

"A penny for your thoughts," he joked. I smiled at him.

"Just wondering if I should tell you who I used to like."

"Hmm," he commented, smiling deviously.

At that moment, I realized that he knew. He'd known all along, but had hidden the fact that he knew from me. My so-called "friends" had spread the word that I liked Kaito all over the University, so why couldn't it have reached his ears also? This put things in a new light.

"Oh, but you already know!" I exclaimed.

He smirked, asking me, "This person that you used to like... did his name begin with a K?"

"Maybe," I replied.

He chuckled, "Does it end with a O?"

I smiled, waiting.

"In the middle... is it an AIT?"

"Is it Kaito?" I asked, "Why but of course!"

"Well, I already knew," he said softly.

"How?" I asked, "Out of curiosity."

"Well, your friends..."

"Are buttheads!" I fumed, standing up. "They couldn't keep a secret for their lives!"

Kaito laughed. "Yes, yes," he said. "Next time, tell your secrets to the right people." he smiled

"Augh. Well now you know," I said, "And now I like someone else. But I doubt that he likes me back, anyway," I sat back down, putting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. "He used to talk to me a lot, though."

"Now I wonder who that could be," he flashed me a smile.

A strange feeling came over me. I felt like the queen of the world, I was willing to take risks, so, why not go for it? I nodded slowly.

"Guess," I retorted.

My answer took him by suprise.

"Guess?" He asked, "I really don't know, though."

"Guess," I insisted, "I'll tell you if you're right."

"But I don't know where to start," he looked exasperated.

"I'll give you hints. Ask questions."

"Uh... Is he in homeroom?"

"Yes."

"Does he hang out with me?"

"Yes."

"How many classes does he have with you?"

"Just one."

"Which one?"

"Homeroom."

"Does he have any classes with me?"

"Yes, the beginning and the end of the day... homeroom and math."

"Is it..." He paused for a moment, turning to me. "Gakupo?" he questioned.

I nodded, smiling.

"Now that wasn't too hard, was it?"

"No. Not really..."

We both laughed, leaves blowing all around us, wind whipping at our faces, both of us pulling our coats tighter around us to keep warm. Kaito grinned and looked over at me.

"Gakupo, huh..."


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them, they really motivate me (:

I've gotten a lot of revs lately about the Gakupo thing :P well, you see, that was the "big change" I was talking about. But I know what I'm doin~ don'tcha worry haha :D

well, hope you enjoy this chapter!

with lots of love,

Neko-chan

* * *

The walk home was pretty much uneventful, there was nothing much to say after we discussed our crushes and everything about them. Something I learned about Kaito was that he was really caring on the inside.

When most guys like someone else, I had observed that they usually teased or bothered their crush a lot. It was the exact opposite with Kaito. He cared for Meiko and helped her in every way possible, it was just that she never seemed to notice his kindness.

"Meiko is so pretty..." he commented while walking back, his eyes unfocused and dreamy.

"She is," I said. "She's got a nice... figure."

The small Rin Kagamine that was buried in the back of my mind popped up and snickered. My conscience rolled her eyes and kicked her aside. I held back a laugh.

"Yeah," he said, "She's got a really cute smile."

I pursed my lips, thinking about my half smirk, half grin, quirky smile and compared it to Meiko's gorgeous laugh with her straight white teeth. Not that I didn't have straight white teeth, it was just that she just seemed so much more... beautiful compared to me.

Kaito seemed to notice my hesitation, and he asked me, "What's wrong?"

"I have a horrible smile," I remarked glumly.

At that, he turned to me and said the words that made my day.

"You don't. Your smile is beautiful."

Despite the fact that I was over him and that I liked Gakupo now, I couldn't help but blush. He blushed also, quickly looking the other way. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

I broke the silence, saying, "Hey my mom's going to be worrying... I better go now."

"Yeah, me too," he said.

"Bye, Kaito," I waved good bye, and this time he looked back and smiled at me.

"See you tomorrow, Miku."

xXx

I rushed into the house, giddy with happiness and hyper from all the walking I did. The atmosphere was light and cheery.

I tossed my homework into my backpack, for I had finished it already. I looked at the clock, suprised that over an hour had already passed from when I left home to when I got back.

I took out my sheet music for 1/6, looked at it and began to sing, "Itsuka Juuryoku..." then paused. It didn't quite fit the mood I was in. I was in the mood for dancing...

I shuffled through my stacks of sheet music, searching in vain for the right song.

"They're going to murder me for changing my song so late..." I muttered, setting my papers down and going though the next stack. A few paper-clipped sheets of music floated down to where I was sitting, cross-legged on the floor.

I picked it up, examining it and flipping through the pages, nodding in approval.

"Chaining Intention..." I murmured thoughtfully.

xXx

I woke up the next day in a cold sweat. Today was the day, the competition day. What if they didn't like the song? 1/6 okay according to the standards, but Chaining Intention was a song that I had sung when I was younger, one of my older songs. I checked the clock. It was 6:45 AM.

"Crap," I cursed softly under my breath and quickly changed into my competition uniform, a gray schoolgirl uniform with aqua highlights. I pulled my hair into two pigtails, put on the matching competition boots, then grabbing my backpack, I rushed to school.

I arrived just in time at 7:00 AM. Everyone else was ready and in their competition uniforms instead of the drab tan and plaid uniforms we usually had to wear to school.

Rin hurried over to me in her gray, white, and yellow competition uniform, whispering, "We thought that you weren't ever going to come! Thank goodness you're here now!"

I shot her an apologetic glance, and as Teto ran over in a magenta outfit similar to mine, we all snapped to attention as the teacher blew his whistle, adjusting his glasses.

"We are now going to board the buses," he barked, "No messing around, or it will result in an immediate detention."

He swung around, studying us closely.

"I see you are all properly dressed," he said in approval. "Now get on the buses quietly and remember," He pointed a finger at all of us, scanning the room,

"Crypton must not be defeated!"


	14. Chapter 14

OI peoples!

Neko-chan here!

Sorry if there was nothing much going on last chappie, I was at a semi writer's block. Now I've just about snapped out of it, so I hope you enjoy this new chapter in complications!

* * *

We quickly boarded the buses, the guys scrambling for the back. I quickly took a window seat near the front, Rin following me and taking the space next to me. Teto scoot in next to her, and we sat huddled together, laughing.

Most people were squished together, two to three to a seat. Only the teacher sat alone in the very front of the bus.

"Okay, here are the rules..." the bus driver droned on, talking about how there was to be no messing around and no eating or drinking on the bus. Rin rolled her eyes and took out a pack of fruit snacks.

"Want one?" she smiled sweetly. We gladly accepted.

The bus started rumbling along the road, and we grinned as the other half of Crypton University waved goodbye. Some people whistled, calling out, "Go Vocaloids! Make us proud!" and "Go out there and kick everyone's butts!"

We could still see their waving silhouettes as the bus drove down the street.

Rin closed her eyes, chewing her fruit snacks thoughtfully, and Teto was leaning against Rin with heavy lidded eyes, head nodding slowly.

I observed everything around me; my schoolmates were talkative and rowdy, laughing and throwing wads of paper around. Kaito and Gakupo were in the seats behind us, laughing and singing random songs. They grinned, and Kaito said, "Hey, let's sing Miku's crazy vegetable juice song! What was it called?"

"Po Pi Po?" Gakupo smirked back, and they broke out in the chorus of one of my earlier songs.

"Po pi po pi po po PI po!"

"Hey!" I twisted around in my seat, glaring at them. "I was really bored when I wrote that! And besides, Teto's singing that for her song, you'll regret it when she does really well."

"Fine, fine," said Gakupo, smiling at me, making me melt a little inside. Kaito shot me a knowing smile. I stuck my tongue out at him.

I turned back around and discovered that Teto was asleep, her head resting against the back of the seat in front of us. Rin looked over at me, an empty wrapper lying in her hands.

"Poor thing," she said, "Stayed up all night practicing."

I nodded, looking out the window at the passing trees and buildings.

"We're eating lunch there, right?"

"Yeeuh," Rin said as she yawned, her mouth opening wide.

Meiko and Luka sat near the back, giggling and whispering to each other. Meiko looked up, pointed in the direction of Kaito, and rolled her eyes, saying something to Luka. Luka laughed hesitantly, as if she felt like she had to, but didn't approve of what Meiko was saying. I looked at them for a moment, then turned away.

Meiko didn't understand. She didn't understand how much Kaito liked her, how lucky she was that she had such a nice guy liking her. Rumors had gone around that she had figured Kaito's secret out, but she sure didn't act as if she knew and the way she treated him was gut-wrenching.

"He loves her," I whispered.

"Yeah," Rin looked down at her hands. I'd told her everything the same day that I had told her that I liked Gakupo.

"She's so mean to him, though," she commented. "I mean, he carries her bag for her, and she goes like 'Ugh, can't you hold it more properly?' and leaves without thanking him. It's awful."

I nodded, "She's kind of nice though, she just gets huge mood swings."

Meiko was known all around campus for her serious mood swings. She could turn from a bubbly, hyper, nice girl to a moody, sarcastic, and mean one in the blink of an eye. Some people didn't know which side of her they'd see when they met her.

"We're here, Crypton University." The bus driver stopped suddenly, and all the students were jerked forward.

"Woah!" Teto said as she awoke and bonked her head on the seat in front of her. "Ugh, I'm tired... but I feel much better now." she yawned and rubbed her eyes, blinking.

"Welcome to Kokoro Hall," the bus driver continued, "Have a nice day. Be careful of the step."

"That's the name of one of my songs..." Rin gaped in awe as we stood up, stretching.

"That's a good sign," I said, shuffling toward the front of the bus, going down the steps. I landed on the clean white pavement with a light thump. Rin, Teto, and the others followed, everyone spilling out of the bus.

"A sure sign of a victory for the Crypton Vocaloids," Teto laughed as everyone headed for the building, the teacher holding open the big brass door so we could enter the magnificent place that was known as Kokoro Hall.


	15. Chapter 15

Hey I'm back with a pretty long chappie xD

Special thanks to **AerkkWrite** and **posersdontdonogood** for constantly reviewing!

to **AerkkWrite**: Thanks for almost always being the first to review after I update, I don't get annoyed at all, I actually really look forward to your revvies~ Thanks so much (:

to **posersdontdonogood**: I actually do want to be an author :P I enjoy writing a lot, and it makes me really happy to see that people enjoy my work (: I also do draw, but mostly manga xD if you look on my profile, there's a link to my deviantart if you're interested~ thanks for your kind reviews!

With love,

Neko-chan!

* * *

Rin gasped in awe as we walked down the hallway with its freshly painted walls and pale marble flooring. Teto admired the paintings of famous composers and singers that were hung on the walls, while I just looked around, taking everything in.

We walked up a few short flights of stairs before stopping in front of a room. The teacher once again opened the door for us, ushering us into the most magnificent theater I had ever seen before.

The stage floor was made of polished wood, and the curtains were a beautiful scarlet color, trimmed with gold lace. "KOKORO HALL" was painted on the walls in swirling silver letters.

The red plush seats in front of us were already almost filled with noisy students from other schools, as well as teachers shouting orders at them to sit down and be quiet. We quickly filed into an empty row as the curtains slowly slid open to reveal a podium. A man strode out from the row of benches at the side of the stage to the podium, and the spotlight shone on him.

"Attention," he said, clearing his throat. "Today is the annual region-wide singing competition. As usual, it will be divided into three categories."

Kiyoto and Gumi shared knowing glances, for they already knew the routine. They had been to numerous competitions already, for they had started going to Crypton at an early age. The rest of us looked at each other with a puzzled expression. We weren't exactly new to Crypton, but this was the first time we'd ever been to a regional.

"The first category is your overall sound, or how you sound as a group. The whole chorus will be asked to sing together as a group while the judges listen."

He continued on, "The second category is the actual performances. The third is the random category."

Murmurs began to sweep across the theater, some people asking, "Random category? What random category?" and nudging other people, asking them what it was. The man, who we found out was the head judge and founder of the regional competitions, continued to explain.

"The third category is completely random. For people who were here last year, you all know that the topic for this category is only revealed after the songs and performances. Every year this category is different, and this is so that you can practice learning to prepare to sing your songs to the best of your ability within a time limit."

"Singing under pressure, oh boy," Rin muttered, glaring at the head judge. I smirked, shaking my head. Maybe the competitions weren't going to be as easy as I thought they'd

The head judge tapped the microphone, causing the students to jump slightly and the whispering to subside. He coughed and proceeded to finish his introduction.

"The following list is the list of ratings that your school can earn today," he said, "From best to worst, the ratings are 'Superior', 'Excellent', 'Good', 'Fair', and 'Poor'. The judges and I wish you the greatest luck on your performances today. Please proceed backstage to warm up."

Automatically, people were getting up and scrambling around to get backstage. The teacher motioned for us to walk in a single file line, so we did, patiently waiting for our turn to go to the warm up room.

Once we got to our destination, we all sat down, sighing.

"Do we really have to sing as a group?" Sweet Ann whined, twirling her golden locks of hair around her finger.

"We're actually not that bad at it," Gakupo grinned.

The teacher nodded, and put up his hands to conduct the group. "Okay, on the count of three, we sing the scale. Ready? One, two, one two three."

"Do..." we sang, "Rei... Mi..."

At that moment, a judge quietly stepped in, looking us over and nodding, writing something down on his clipboard. He then asked us to sight-read a piece of music, handing it out and sitting back in a chair.

"Lost My Music," Teto mused. "Ironic much?"

We all laughed, and the group sight-read the music with ease because it was easy, even though it was in English.

Before leaving, the judge said, "In fifteen minutes, be in your seats outside. The performances will start soon."

xXx

Everyone sat in their seats, smiles plastered on our faces, hands clammy and sweaty, clapping for yet another wonderful soloist. Our opponents were more than good, they were exceptional. A young boy in his early teens came up to us, whispering, "Crypton University?"

We nodded hesitantly.

"You're up soon, go backstage. The stairs are to the left." he scampered away.

We proceeded backstage, and the teacher told us to practice while we waited our turn. Rin turned to me and in a panic, started rambling on.

"Miku! 1/6! Do your rehearsal! Now! Quick! What are you waiting for?"

"Rin!"

"What? Sing! We don't have that much time!"

"Rin! Listen!" I shouted in frustration. She stopped her nervous chatter for a moment. "Huh?"

"I'm not singing 1/6." I said.

"What? But you can't just change now!" she said, clearly exasperated.

"Yes I can, trust me, I have a feeling that this song will be better. Why don't you and Teto practice first... I need to go talk to sensei."

"Alright then, whatever you say," with that, she turned to Teto. "Let's do this!" she said.

"Yeah!" said Teto, with a look of determination in her eyes.

I finally found the teacher near a group of boys, giving them tips on how to reach some of the high notes. I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Um... sensei?"

He turned around, adjusting his glasses.

"Yes, Hatsune-san?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Alright."

He followed me to an unoccupied portion of the bustling back room known the 'backstage'. He sat down in one of the chairs and said, "So, what did you want to speak to me about?"

"I need lights," I said. "Flashing, colorful lights. It's for my performance."

He frowned. "I thought you were singing 1/6?"

"I changed my song. There's some dancing involved."

"Hmm," he muttered thoughtfully. "Then dance."

"What?"

"Dance for me, show me what you'll be performing for those judges."

I looked at him, suddenly nervous. What if he told me that it was unacceptable?

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, "Go! Sing! Dance!" he smiled, encouraging me. I nodded and took my place in the center of the small space we had found, and I as the song played quietly in the background, I sang the lyrics and danced. The teacher watched me as I spun and moved my hands, my hair whipping at my face. He tapped his foot to the rhythm, his head nodding a little. But when I finally ended with my back facing him, he laughed and shook his head slowly. I turned fully around.

"So..." I said nervously, looking down at the ground. Did he not like it?

"So," he grinned, "We'll get you those lights."

xXx

I peeked from behind the curtain at the huge stage and the audience. Teto was singing her closing notes, and I paced back and forth. Rin nudged me, saying, "Look, you're going to be the last performer,"

"What?" I exclaimed, dismayed.

"Well, we're the last school to perform, and all the other small groups finished already, so you're going to be last."

"But they're always the harshest with the last person!" I said.

She shrugged, "Then your new song better be as good as it can get."

We heard the audience clapping outside, and Rin twitched nervously.

"It's my turn now, wish me luck. Oh, and you know that we're not singing Triple Baka, right?"

"Yeah, the teacher told me," I replied, "There's not enough time. Now go out there, and give 'em hell!"

She grinned and walked out on the stage.

"My name is Kagamine Rin and I will be singing the song I Like You I Love You."

She sang her song with simplicity, ease, and sweet innocence. As the song ended, she smiled and finished with a graceful curtsy. "Thank you," she said, and exited off to the benches at the side. One of the stage hands motioned for me to come on stage.

I walked slowly onto the stage to the podium where the head judge was standing. He gave me a friendly smile.

"What is your name?"

"Hatsune Miku, from Crypton."

"Hatsune..." he muttered, scanning his list. He checked my name off. "Okay, and song?"

"Chaining Intention," I replied, shifting nervously in place.

"Oh," he said, looking over at me, "You requested lights?"

"Yes," I muttered under my breath.

"Alright, take your place center stage, and we will begin." he motioned off to the side to one of the stage hands. "Lights!" he yelled.

I walked to the center as the lights dimmed, cloaking then entire room in darkness. Suddenly, there were flashing lights, and a steady beat started playing.

I stood there with my head down, feet spread apart and arms at my side, listening to the beat and watching the neon lights flashing and lighting up the room with sudden colorful bursts of light. I waited for the steady rhythm to stop, then my hands darted up to my face and moved to the sides. "Chizu wo nakushi tatazumu suisou," I sang, lifting my feet lightly and stepping to the side, "Fuyu wo yurasu panorama, hora, kabe no ushiro ni."

I kept singing and dancing, and I only needed to look at the amazed faces of the audience to see that I was doing more than just well.

"White, shine, kogoeru keshiki wo, mukumori de somete."

I spun around, head turning side to side, hands waving in the air, and I felt light, twirling around on the stage and dancing like this, it reminded me of when I was younger and a lot more carefree. I saw some of my classmates off to the side, tapping their feet to the rhythm and mouthing the words. I flew across the stage with my dancing, and as the song began to wind down to a close, I sang the ending notes.

"Anata no hi damari to, watashi, koko ni itainda!"

I stepped back with my back to the audience, hands splayed to the side. The crowd burst into a ferocious round of applause, louder and wilder than any applause I'd heard before for the earlier soloists. I turned around, gave a smile and a wave, and hurried over to the benches as the lights began to flicker back on. Back in my seat, my classmates congratulated me with slaps on the back and enthusiastic praise.

"You knocked them dead!" Rin laughed, "They were hypnotized, I swear!"

Kaito ginned at me, "Great job, Miku-chan!"

Gakupo nodded, muttering, "Damn..."

The rest of the Vocaloids cheered, and I blushed and sat down. The head judge pounded the podium and called for order, as if the theater were a courtroom.

"May I please have your attention?" he tapped on the microphone, and we all turned towards him. He took out a piece of paper, examined it, then refolded it and put it away.

"I will now reveal the topic for the third category."


	16. Chapter 16

AH MAH GAWD. (lets just pretend you hear me speaking in a overexaggerated southern accent) I dont go on ffn for a while and i check back and its like BAM. wayyy over forty revvies. Needless to say, im happy (:

Happy Chinese New Year peoples! Yes, it passed a while ago but nevertheless, I will show off my Chinese pride and wish you an awesome Year of the Rabbit~

Thanks for reading Complications!

~ Mao-chan (CNY special xD)

* * *

The talking slowly subsided and there was a long, stretched-out silence as the head judge nodded his head and spoke into the microphone.

"This year's third, random category is..."

The audience held its breath in anticipation.

"Duets."

There was a ripple of confusion gliding across the theater as the head judge spoke the word. Duets... no one had ever expected that the third category would be a duet. The judge continued to drawl on.

"The teacher will choose six students to participate. They will, of course, be paired up so that there are three duet groups. You may choose any song you wish. There will be forty-five minutes for you to rehearse your songs. We wish you the best of luck." The head judge put down his microphone and exited the stage.

In less than a second, the volume swelled up and people were yelling and arguing over who should go up, and what they would sing. Our teacher motioned for us to go backstage, and we followed him, dragging the curtain closed.

"Gakupo, Kaito, Len, Luka, Rin, and Miku, come here," he waved his hand, indicating that we come forward. We stepped up, Rin's nervous chattering showing that she had no idea why we were called.

"You six are my best students," the teacher said, pacing back and forth, the heels of his shoes making a sharp click-click sound as he turned around. "I have chosen you six to sing the duets."

I heard Rin's sharp intake of breath as she realized that she would have to sing, yet again, in front of the humongous croud. Although she was a phenomonal singer, she often got stage fright and panicked.

The rest of the class murmured in agreement. The busy humming that coursed through the small backstage area was silenced as our teacher spoke up again.

"The way you are paired up is up to you, but make sure you choose quickly, you only have a little over forty minutes now. Make us proud!"

As he walked over to the rest of the class, he patted me lightly on the shoulder. I looked up.

"By the way, Miku, your performance was amazing," He nodded, "Keep it up!"

We listened to the click-click of his shoes on the tiles as he crossed over to our talking classmates.

"Now, now!" he shouted, "Settle down!"

I quickly turned to Rin. "I don't have any duet music!" I exclaimed, rummaging through my papers. "Not one!"

"Found one!" Rin grinned triumphantly as she waved several sheets of music at me. "Kokoro Kiseki, as in Kokoro Hall! Wanna duet?"

I looked at her eager, grinning face but shook my head slowly.

"Kokoro Kiseki... I remember that song from a year ago. Shouldn't it be a guy plus girl duet?"

She shook her head vigorously. "Like any guy would like to duet with me!"

"I would."

Rin turned her head at the abrupt intrusion and blushed a deep red. "Len!" she exclaimed.

Len cocked his head to the side, grinning. "I'll duet with you."

"But, Miku..." Rin stammered, turning a darker shade of scarlet by every passing second

"I'll be fine," I waved my hand and ran smack-dab into Kaito. "I-I'm sorry!" I stuttered.

Kaito smirked and turned me around, placing his hands on my shoulders and steering me away from the two blondes.  
"Kokoro Kiseki... you two have fun!" he called over his shoulder.

I struggled against his grip as he pushed me around clumps of my classmates. "Where are you taking me?" I asked, to which he cheerfully replied, "To Narnia!"

I rolled my eyes, and when we finally stopped at an area where there was no people, he pulled out two sheets of paper. Music.

I took the music away from him, examining them with awe.

"Dear You?"

"Yeah," he said, looking down at his hands, as if he were suddenly embarassed. "I was wondering if you'd like to do the duet with me, since Rin is with Len and all..." he trailed off. I looked at him, thinking about those times in the past where he had broken my heart, times where he had deserted me for Meiko, and yet others where he had ignored me for days. Yet I couldn't say no.

There were always good things that overpowered the bad.

The times where we had laughed until our stomachs were aching, those days where he had comforted me, or I'd comforted him, and the moments where we would catch each other's eyes and look away in an instant. Maybe it was around that time that I realized that I cared about him a lot more than just "a little". I took care of him as if he were my little brother. I smirked. He _was _one month younger than me...

"Sure, Otouto," I grinned and looked at the papers. "Duet time..."

It was amazing how he took to he nickname. He accepted it readily as if he had been called that his whole life. From then on, to me, he was exactly that. Otouto.

"Ready?" I inquired, looking over at him. He nodded, and started to sing.

xXx

I was nervous. Really nervous.

The minutes had whizzed by like bullets, and soon the buzzer rang and everyone was called to the theater again. School after school performed their duets, and finally it was Crypton's turn to go up and sing.

Gakupo and Luka began with a witty song that they had made up a few years ago, called "Go Google It!". They charmed the audience with the hilarious lyrics and acted to go along with it. My heart panged as I saw that Gakupo was really enjoying himself. Altogether too soon, it was our turn to make an appearance.

The set was dressed up as a beautiful Japanese garden, with Kaito wearing a navy-colored suit while I wore a kimono. Sakura blossoms drifted lazily to the floor as we sang our opening lines...

We bowed after finishing, and it was then Rin and Len's turn to stun the crowd. They were dressed in their regular attire, except with Len wearing a lab coat and glasses over his competition uniform. Kaito nodded and let them pass.

"Good luck, you blondies!" he cheered. I laughed as they looked back sheepishly and the haunting music began playing.

The crowd was truely mesmerized.

Rin and Len's voices were made for each other. If they sang apart, you wouldn't have thunk it, but when they sang a duet, their voices blended together perfectly.

They sang, the song wrapping around my brain, echoing through my mind. Len sang the part of a scientist who had created a robot, whom was Rin. When Rin had written the song, I had only skimmed across it, I had never heard it sung like this...

Around the end of the song, it split into two different singing parts. Their voices seemed to twist around each other and untwist themselves, sending an echoing sound across the theater and leaving the room in silence, with the faint chiming of bells.

After they had ended, there was a moment of amazed silence before one person started to clap loudly, everyone else joining in. The judges nodded and clapped, writing stuff down and taking notes. The head judge reappeared and again gave us a new set of orders.

"Go eat lunch, everyone," he said wearily. "We'll announce the results in a bit."


	17. Chapter 17

Sorry for the short chapter...!

I have a lot more to say o_o This story's probably not ending anytime soon, lol xD its probably gonna reach 20 some chappies :P

Ahhhh, im on another mind block, but I think I have a faint idea of what's gonna happen in the next chapter... all i need to do now is do some more thinking & then type it up :P

well, I hope you enjoy this chapter anyhow~!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (or for me, Happy Single Awareness Day, aka SAD xP)

with luv,

Neko-chan!

* * *

As we walked down to the lunch tables to get our food, some students from Utau Acadamy came over and jeered at us, smirking and saying, "You know you guys never win, we're the best of the best, and we'll beat you again this year... as always."

I bit my lip, remembering what the teacher told us before we left to eat:

"_We've never gotten a 'superior' rating before, even when we did really well. And hey, you guys did well today, extremely well. I just wanted to tell you that even if you don't earn that superior… well, I'll be proud of you guys no matter what."_

He also told us that the Utaus had "relations" to the judges, and therefore, always got extremely high ratings.

One of the Utaus, a girl with dark blue hair and green eyes, sneered at Teto.

"Teto," she said, shaking her head, "you really shouldn't have switched schools, really. What were you thinking, heading over to Crypton and their _Vocaloids_?"

Teto shrank back, hiding behind me as the girls slunk away, heads high, with a confident stride. Teto used to be part of Utau Academy before she transferred to Crypton. The girls who used to be her friends now jeered at her because of the transfer. I shook my head. Really, what was wrong with them?

We sat around, eating sushi and tempura, and gulping down various soft drinks. Surprisingly, the food at Kokoro Hall was more delicious than I had ever imagined. I laughed as I saw Rin blissfully eating an orange-flavored cookie. Suddenly, one of the judges walked into the cafeteria. "The results are done," she announced, flipping her sleek black hair. "You guys can go outside now for the announcements."

Everyone made a sprint for the door, crowding around and pushing their way through. When we finally emerged outside, we stood there for a moment with the sun beating down on us and the wind whispering through the trees. The mighty head judge made his appearance and greeted us.

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate everyone on their performance today, it was astounding."

Whistles and cheers echoed throughout the crowd. Rin grinned at me, and everyone shifted nervously in place.

"I will now announce the scores as follows: the school name comes first, then the subcatagories and their ratings, and lastly the overall rating for the school."

He then read off all the schools in his low, monotonious voice.

"Haiyan High. Warm-up: excellent. Sightreading: good. Performances: excellent. Random category: fair. Overall rating: good."

On and on he droned, until he finally reached the last two schools: Utau Academy and Crypton University. He looked up sharply, nodding as he spoke.

"Utau Academy. Warm-up: superior. Sightreading: excellent. Performances: superior. Random category: superior. Overall rating: superior."

The Utaus cheered loudly, leering at us, with looks that seemed to make us shrink in size. Maybe we had a large group of singers, but that didn't mean that our quality was poor!

Finally, the head judge read our results, shaking his head and smiling.

"Crypton University," he chuckled, "Warm-up: superior! Sightreading: superior! Performances: superior! Random category: superior! So, of course, the overall rating would be..."

The crowd fell silent, and we could hear whispering from the Utaus. The head judge cleared his throat, and he uttered the four-syllable word.

"Superior."

Victory never felt so sweet.

What started as a low rumbling of laughter quickly accelerated into a loud roar as the Crypton Vocaloids joined in with loud cheers, laughing and slapping each other on the back. The Utaus merely scoffed and were about to turn away when the head judge called, "Wait! It's not over yet."

We all stopped in our tracks and turned to face him again as he said, "Never in the world did we do this before, but the performances this year basically forced us to start some new awards."

He turned around and returned with two framed certificates. Leaning in to the microphone, he said, "This award for 'Best Song and Performance' goes to... Miku Hatsune from Crypton University!"

I froze. My classmates laughed, shouting for me to accept the award. I took slow, hesitant steps to the head judge and he handed me the award and shook my hand before going back to the microphone.

"Also from Crypton University, this award for 'Best Random Category Performance' goes to Rin and Len Kagamine!"

Len and Rin shyly walked up to the head judge and took the award, blushing. The head judge smiled and said, "Congratulations everyone! You all are now dismissed, have a wonderful day!"

A superior. We all smiled in bliss as we boarded the bus. Suddenly, the sound of clapping resounded across the field. I looked behind me just to see one of the schools clapping for us. We smiled, bowed, and muttered our thank you's as we waved and boarded the bus which would be driving us back to Crypton University.

The same crew, back with the unbelievable score and two awards to go along with it…

Who would've thought it?


	18. Chapter 18

Ahhhhhh another short chappie ;;

So sorry that I'm not uploading as often anymore ): I've been kinda busy cuz i have a bajillion projects and pages of hw xP

but i finally forced myself to write a new chapter... in the middle of the night. LOL. well i hope you like this chapter~

Theres a lot of fluff lolz ^^

(written in 3rd Person)

Luves, Neko-chan!

* * *

"Hey, Rin..." Len shifted nervously in place. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

It had been weeks after the competition, and now the ground was blanketed with a thin layer of snow. Len was standing at Rin's door, and although he was grinning broadly, she could read the nervousness on his face.

"Sure," she smiled. "Let me get my coat."

They trudged though the park, each step making a soft crunch and an imprint in the snow. The trees were bare and the wind was harsh. Len looked over at Rin, who seemed to be shivering even though she wore a thick coat.

"Here," he said, unwinding his scarf from his neck and wrapping it around her shoulders. Her breath caught a little, and she blushed faintly. They stood there in silence for a moment before she began to speak again.

"So..." Rin looked over at the blonde teen, who was by this time blushing furiously, and asked, "Why did you ask me out here?"

Len made a face, causing Rin to give out a trill of a laugh. He shrugged his shoulders, muttering, "Dunno... It's probably because I noticed that it might be a bit cold outside, but it's really pretty today..."

She looked around. Despite her dislike for cold weather, it _was _pretty outside, the sun high in the sky but with clouds partially obscuring it, the shimmering layer of snow on the ground, and most of all, the feeling of being together with someone you loved...

Rin grinned at Len, and they held each other's gazes for a split second before they both turned away. She closed her eyes dreamily, laughing, "Have you ever heard of snow angels?"

"Snow angels?" He asked, "Yeah, but I haven't made one since..."

"Why don't you start again?"

Len looked over her, astonished. "But, Rin, I-"

Rin playfully pushed him, and they both toppled onto a soft pillow of snow. She moved her arms and legs in a windshield fashion, and Len followed her lead, chuckling to himself.

They both stood up afterwards, admiring the snow angels. After a few minutes of standing, a mischievious glint appeared in Rin's eyes.

"Let's build a snowman!"

Len laughed in protest, but let himself get dragged across the park as Rin ran to and fro, looking for a space with more snow. As she turned her back, Len slowly took on a devious grin. He scooped up some snow, packed it together, and

took careful aim...

"_Len!_"

The blonde laughed hysterically, running away as Rin sprinted after him with a snowball in her hand, all thoughts of making a snowman abandoned.

They chased each other all across the park, down hills, around the frozen pond, and across walkways. Finally, Rin ran in front of Len and turned around, preparing to throw her snowball at his face.

What she failed to notice were the numerous twigs and branches scattered in the snow. Being the clumsy girl she was, she tripped and landed back-first into the snow. Len, taken by surprise by her fall, toppled on top of her, his lips landing just inches away from hers.

They both blushed, their faces as red as rose petals. They lay there in a long an awkward silence before Len broke the ice and finally spoke up again.

"About earlier, Rin..." he said, looking to the side, "I just wanted to ask, um..."

Rin looked up at him, her face still flushed, "Ask what?" Her heart beat wildly, and she wondered if it was loud enough for Len to hear.

"Um, would you... Rin Kagamine, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

Rin turned an even deeper shade of scarlet, and seeing her reaction, Len quickly snapped back to reality and got off of Rin, pulling himself into a kneeling position. "Y-you don't have to if you don't want to!"

Rin shook her head, smiling, and sat up slowly. She grinned and looked directly at Len. He blushed but held her gaze.

"Yes, yes I would," she whispered, "I would like to be your girlfriend."

Both of them knew what was coming next - their eyes fluttered closed as they leaned in, and slowly, the rest of the space separating their lips disappeared.


	19. Chapter 19

Aiyyyeeeee! It's been a while since I updated, so I thought I'd finish another chapter today while I had the chance…

Sorry if im not updating as frequently as before… im pretty busy nowadays…:P

With Lurv,

Neko-chan!

* * *

I yawned, rolled my eyes lazily and stared out at the blanket of snow stretched out before me. Really, a snow day? I shook my head in disbelief. It wasn't like I hated the cold or anything, it was just that I was really looking forward to going outside today, and now…

The doorbell rang, causing me to jump up and Neru to shift a little in her bed across the room.

"Mmmph?" she asked groggily, and I laughed, "No, you go back to sleep. I'll get that."

I ran downstairs in my favorite pair of pajamas – cyan with leeks printed on them – and fumbled with the lock and unlatched the door, expecting it to be the mailman, perhaps delivering the new set of earphones I ordered a week ago. Or, maybe it was even a certain lavender-haired boy… the one I loved. I laughed dreamily. _Yeah right, it's probably just a salesman..._ I finally opened the door, and my mouth fell open in shock.

"K-Kaito?" I asked, stuttering. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged his shoulders, pushing his hair from his eyes. "I don't know, there's nothing else to do today. Want to go for a walk?"

I was about to answer when his eyes trailed down and saw what I was wearing. He looked back up at me and smirked.

"Nice pajamas you've got there. I like the leeks."

I blushed and slammed the door in his face, shouting, "You idiot! I-I'll be there in a moment!" I heard a faint muffled exclamation of surprise from outside.

After I changed, I walked outside and shivered. Maybe I should have picked a thicker jacket... Kaito looked over at me. "You cold?" he asked. I shook my head, smiling faintly. "I'm fine."

We walked the normal route: across the park, around the school, and under the sakura trees that were now bare in the winter. We talked all the while, laughing absentmindedly and smiling with vacant expressions.

"Hey," I suddenly smirked at him. "So, how's Meiko? Did you ask her to the upcoming winter dance?"

"The winter formal," he blushed, "No, not yet."

"You should ask her," I laughed, "She'd probably say yes."

"She doesn't..." Kaito mumbled, his voice trailing off.

"What?" I asked, turning towards him.

"She doesn't like me," he confessed.

"Bull!" I chirped happily. "I'm sure she does, you just don't know it."

"No really," he mumbled, "She- her friends told me so."

"No!" I screeched to a halt. "Who told you?"

"You know, her best friend," he shrugged, looking down at his feet and frowning, "Luka and them."

"Oh..." I murmured quietly. "Well it's not like you're me. I don't stand a chance."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that."

"Huh?" I looked up at Kaito, but thought of him, Gakupo, instead.

"I don't know," he smiled, "But you have as good of a chance as any."

I laughed, pushing him to the side.

"Really, you should ask her out!"

"No," he whined, pushing me back. "Didn't I already tell you that she didn't like me?"

"Hey, she might be hiding her emotions!" I grinned stupidly.

We fell into a laughing fit, and I suddenly remembered what I had heard Gakupo say a few days ago.

_"I don't know... I don't want anyone else besides her."_

I thought for a moment, feeling my brain trying to wrap around the thought. What did that mean? Maybe nothing. But maybe... I froze, a thought forming in my head. _No... could it be that... he liked someone?_

I turned to Kaito and forced a smile.

"Hey Kaito... Does Gakupo - by any chance - like anyone?"

I saw him hesitate for a moment before asking, "Like, as in..."

"As in a girl, a crush."

He stopped, making up his mind and quietly muttering, "Yes..."

A sinking feeling came into my chest.

Did it mean that...?

"Um, does does anyone know who it is?"

He only nodded.

I swallowed. "Who?"

His eyes rose up to meet mine before flickering away again.

"I do."

"W-what?"

"I know who it is."

He knew. _He knew_. All this time, all along with the confessions and the obsessions and the love, all this time he knew?

So he was just playing with me.

All this time...

I halted in the middle of our walk, stopping him and turning around.

"I give up."

I choked back my tears, the burning tears that were threatening to spill out of my eyes at any moment, and backed away slowly.

"I give up," I whispered, my voice cracking, "This is it."

"Miku!" Kaito exclaimed, trying to get near me.

"No!" I sobbed, and felt the salty tears running down my cheeks. Damn it. I wiped them away quickly, hoping that he wouldn't notice. He did, and his eyes widened.

"Otouto, I don't understand, I put all this trust in you, and you just lead me on..."

"Miku, I-" he began, but I stopped him again.

"I give up," I said plainly. "It isn't me, is it?"

He opened his mouth, and stood there, swallowing.

"N-no..."

"Then that's all I need to know," I said, and I could feel the tears pricking at my eyes again. "All I need to know..." I turned around and began walking, then running away, sprinting, just trying to get away from it all.

"Miku!" Kaito shouted.

I didn't stop. I ran and ran, running until I could no longer hear his voice calling after me.

"It's Luka, isn't it?" I screamed, sitting down on that bench, _our bench_, burying my face in my hands. My voice echoed around the empty school. _"He likes Luka!"_

As my sobs died down and my staggering breathing turned back to normal, I let my hands fall numbly into my lap.

This was the second time I had been really hurt, heartbroken over some boy that I loved. The second time, with nothing for the better. Was love really worth it? Was it really worth all this pain?

I sighed, trying to resist bursting into tears again, kicking my feet back and forth and watching the snow fall down.

I should have known...


	20. Chapter 20

Some major recovery in this chapter (:

It's a lot lighter than the other chapter, which I've got to admit was a little heavy and depressing xP

Thanks for reading Complications!

Luv, Neko-chan

* * *

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head, smiling sadly at Rin, who was worried out of her wits.

"No, seriously, what the hell happened to you?"

"Nothing. I told you already, nothing."

"But you were fine a minute ago! And now once I told you that Len and I were going out, suddenly…" I cringed, and she stopped talking.

She turned around and grabbed me by the shoulders. "What is it? What's up with you today? Do you not like me and Len as a couple or something?"

"No, it's not that, I think it's cute. It's just…" I snapped my jaw shut.

She shook me vigorously. "Tell me!" she ordered.

"I – uh," I began, but before I could say much more, Kaito turned the corner and I shut up. "Miku!" Rin wailed, stomping her feet on the floor.

"Hey, Miku-chan!" Kaito started walking toward me, and I panicked, looking around like a trapped rabbit. "Miku?" Rin stared, wide-eyed. Just as Kaito reached us, I bolted the other way, running as fast as I could down the busy hallways.

The bell rang, and I hurriedly ducked into my homeroom class, taking my usual seat near the window. Everyone else filed in quickly, including Rin, who rushed in with a weird sense of bravado, taking the seat next to me and whispering,

"Miku… just then, why did you run?"

I looked over in her direction and immediately registered a smiling Len sitting behind her with a dreamy look on his face. I bit my lip and buried my face in my arms. The tardy bell rang, and class started.

"Class, open your books to page twenty-five and we will resume our reading."

I barely felt myself opening the heavy text book and flipping to the right page. I heard the idle chatter around me and saw the faint look of concern on Rin's face, but I knew that that would soon fade.

Why was her life so perfect?

xXx

We walked around in the field a little while later after my emotions had died down a bit. Rin listened with a patience that I had never seen her express before, and I poured out all of the details of the previous day. After I had finished, she announced abruptly, "Well, Kaito's a jerk."

"What?" I laughed, "But…"

"No, no, no," she shook her head, "No buts, no cuts, no Chinese coconuts!" she chirped cheerfully. "He totally lied to you."

I shook my head in mock-disdain. "What the heck are Chinese coconuts anyway?" My blue-eyed friend gave me an innocent look and replied, "Dunno, why are you asking me?"

We both laughed, relieved that the tension was over. Then, Rin turned to me and said, "So was that why you seemed so upset that I was going out with Len…?"

I nodded, shrugging. "I guess so, it seemed as if your life was perfect, and mine never came out the way that I wanted it to. I mean, all you did was fall in love with Len, and he loved you back. I fell in love with two different people, and both of them loved someone else."

Rin frowned. "Yeah, I suppose." She stopped, did a neat cartwheel on the grass, straightened up, and fell back in step with my strides. I chuckled.

"What was that for?"

"To clear up my thoughts," she said, nodding, her short blonde hair flying to the side. "Doing cartwheels makes me think. It feels as if the blood is rushing through my head."

"Uh, the blood was already rushing through your head," I pointed out. "It's called your brain. There's plenty of blood there."

Rin laughed, "It's just an expression, Miku, don't be such a nerd," she shot me a warm smile, indicating that she was joking.

"But, Miku, it really does help me think," her head bobbed up and down as she tried organizing her thoughts. "For one, why did you forgive Kaito? In the morning you flat-out ran away from him. But now here you are, telling me that he isn't a jerk." She looked up at me, waiting for an answer.

"I haven't really forgiven him yet," I confessed. "He did sort of lead me on, but he didn't lie." I looked down at my feet, sighing. "I would have appreciated it a little if he'd told me earlier, though…"

Rin blinked, repeating her earlier question. "And you still think he isn't a jerk?"

I shook my head, "No, he's my otouto, you see… I can't just say that."

"Suit yourself," Rin shrugged. "I still think he's a jerk."

I smiled faintly. "Fine then."

xXx

For the rest of the day, I tended to ignore Kaito and Gakupo a little bit. It still hurt a lot, but inside my heart, I knew that I had forgiven both of them for the crimes they hadn't realized they had committed.

After school ended, we went home to prepare for the winter formal that was happening that night. I heard from the rumors that Kaito had actually asked Meiko out, and Gakupo had asked Luka.

Everyone called each other, jabbering on and on about how excited they were about the formal. Right before the dance started, my cell phone rang and I picked it up. It was Rin.

"Miku," she sobbed, "I can't go, can you tell Len? I'm so sorry!"

"What?" I exclaimed, alarmed. "No, you have to go! You purchased the tickets!"

"I know," she sniffed, "But my mom says I can't… I have to stay home and do homework, apparently."

"But the ticket was expensive!"

"She doesn't care!"

I stared at my phone numbly. "She has to let you go!"

"She won't let me…"

I sighed, searching frantically for my ticket, "Are you sure you can't go?"

"I can't, I'm so sorry – would you do me a favor and tell Len?"

"I will, I will."

"Thanks, my mom's calling… tell me how it goes."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye."

I hung up and slid against the wall, closing my eyes. She couldn't go. Who was I supposed to hang out with now?

I heard the doorbell and rushed to answer it, Neru tagging behind me and handing me my jacket.

"Have fun," she called, waving, as I opened the door to a waiting Teto and slipped out into the cold night.

xXx

Once we reached the school, Teto rushed over to Sweet Ann while I made my way over to Len. I tapped him on the shoulder and whispered the news into his ear. His face fell, and my heart lurched, realizing at that moment how much he really loved Rin.

"She said she couldn't?" he asked, truly devastated.

"Yeah," I said. "She told me to tell you."

"Oh, okay," he said, turning numbly away.

At that moment, the music started in the cafeteria and everyone scuttled in to dance and sing to the music.

I stood off to the side, watching the guys break-dance despite their formal attire and the girls stand around in clumps, gossiping and singing. I wandered out of the cafeteria with nothing to do, eating some snacks and drinking juice. It was going to be a long night…

Suddenly Rin burst into the school, panting and clutching her black purse and running over to me.

"Rin?" I asked, shocked.

"My mom let me go!" she panted, "It was because I finished everything!" She combed down her hair and looked at me, beaming. "You look pretty today, Miku-chan!" I grinned, twirling around and showing off my white iridescent dress. "You look great too!"

"I personally think that it's a bit too black," she admitted, tugging at her black lacy Lolita dress and gesturing to her black bow, purse, and shoes.

I laughed, shaking my head. "It's fine," I smiled, ruffling her hair and straightening her bow. Rin grinned and looked up at me, pointing at me and my hair.

"Hey, isn't that your competition hairstyle?

"Yeah," I said, "I liked it, so I decided to keep it like this. Maybe I should wear it like this to school, too."

Rin nodded enthusiastically, and I pulled her to the cafeteria, smirking. Before she knew what was going on, I shoved her into Len and yelled, "Surprise!" Rin let out a short "Oomph," and glared at me. Lin gaped, asking, "Rin, I thought that you weren't coming!"

Rin shrugged, muttering in a matter-of-fact way, "Well now I am."

In the middle of the noisy chatter and exclamations of surprise at Rin's spontaneous arrival, the loud music died down a little, and the DJ yelled into his microphone, "Okay, the next song is a slow song!"

Everyone shifted awkwardly as the flashy lights quickly dimmed to small bursts of swimming colors, leaving the room almost totally dark. The slow, lyrical music began playing, and low murmurs could be heard from the boys as they asked the girls of their dreams to a dance.

I leaned back on the wall, surveying the sight laid in front of me: Rin and Len awkwardly shifting back and forth in a semi-dance, Meiko smirking as she wrapped her hands around Kaito's neck and Kaito sheepishly placed his hands on her waist, and in the far-off corner, Gakupo and Luka leaning together in a wrapped up embrace, showing the true meaning of a slow dance. I sighed, smiling.

Typical couples.

A typical dance.

And there was a typical me, standing around in the back while everyone's heart beat fast and slow as they danced.

I closed my eyes, just concentrating on the slow, steady beat and swaying to the music.

"Well, happy winter formal," I whispered. "May everyone's dreams come true."


	21. Chapter 21

Hola everyone! It's Neko, and I'm BACK!

I'm wondering if anyone watches Glee, cuz the last episode (Sexy) was HILARIOUS xD

Ahhhhh I have a bajillion projects this week. It's as if the teachers WANT us to die. Sigh.

Well, hope you like this chappie!

With love,

Neko-Neko

* * *

"Oh, yeah, Miku! Len! Len! Len!" Rin squealed as she hopped around the room, freaking out and dancing around. She was grinning so hard that you may have thought that her smile would split in two, and she laughing so hard that you couldn't help but think that if she kept at it, she would soon double up in a heart attack.

I groaned, shaking my head but grinning at the same time.

"That dance was over a week ago," I said dryly. "No need to fuss about it even more."

"No, no, he asked me out!"

When I sent her an odd look, she continued explaining. "Like, you know, on a real date? To a café? YEEE.."

I blinked. "A date?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah!" she chirped. "Why?"

"Nothing," I frowned, "Let's go ask the teacher about that math problem you're having trouble on."

"Okay!"

I stood by on the side as Rin listened quietly and the teacher wrote furiously on the chalkboard, waving his hands around and telling Rin about the different terms and equations. I was finished with the class work already, but was too lazy to explain the lesson to the clueless Rin.

"Go and ask the teacher," I had said, and while I prepared to get up, she suddenly remembered about her date with Len.

I closed my eyes. She had a date, and by now, Luka and Gakupo were going out as well. Everyone had seemingly felt the love in the air except for me.

The bell rang, and everyone closed their books with a sharp snap.

"Remember, do problems one through fifty-six today!" the teacher hollered as we exited the classroom into the bustling hallway.

As Rin and I split, veering off into different classrooms, I frantically searched for Kaito. I needed to talk to him. I just wanted to talk to _someone_.

I looked across two rows to the third seat from the back, Kaito's seat. It was empty. I snapped back down to Earth just as the teacher muttered, "Shion, Kaito? Is he absent today?"

I turned around to see Gakupo raise his hand.

"Yeah, he's sick. You know, with the weather and all."

The teacher nodded, adjusting her red spectacles. "Thank you, Kamui-san."

Absent, and sick to top it off? My heart pounded with worry. Kaito was never sick, literally. I would often see him walking in the rain without an umbrella, back hunched over and trudging through the mud, or even wearing his summer uniform in the middle of a bitterly cold winter, just to appear at school again the next day without a cough or a sneeze.

In other words, "sick" was rare for him.

I listened to the science lesson with little interest, my mind wandering off to other things, such as Rin and Len's date. My ears, however, seemed to have another brain of its own, and I soon found myself listening to a conversation between Meiko and Lily.

I peered at my paper, which was covered with various doodles, and pretended to take notes as I secretly eavesdropped.

"This class is so damn boring, don't you think, Lily?" Meiko was muttering under her breath.

"I don't know," Lily replied with a troubled look on her face, "Misaki-sensei is nice enough, but I guess her class gets a bit dull sometimes."

Lily was a super smart student, one of the smartest at Crypton. She used to be my best friend until she began drifting off to the more popular groups. Even though she hung out with people like Meiko and Luka, she was still one of my really close friends.

"Ack," Meiko yawned, "Kaito's absent today. Thank goodness, he's so annoying."

My heart thumped. Annoying? How could she call him that when she knew just how much he liked her?

Lily seemed to think the same way I did. She laughed nervously. "But Meiko, don't you like…"

"Oh, of course not!" Meiko smiled. "He's too quiet, and he barely talks to girls. Can you believe it? He's boring, too. Yeah, I'd rather like someone like…" she paused. "Kiyoteru. The smart, funny, outgoing type."

Lily looked at Meiko with a blank expression. "Then why did you dance with him?" she questioned.

"Oh, that?" she blinked, tossing her hair, "I just felt sorry for him."

I clenched and unclenched my fists, gritting my teeth. Kaito deserved more, he was better than this. He was _not_ boring; he was funny, kind, hyper, and likable. All you needed to do was get to know him first to experience his other side – the side apart from his shy appearance.

"Hatsune-san?" The teacher looked at me, "Are you all right?"

It took me a second to realize that I was banging my fist on the desk and frowning, staring intensely at my paper.

"Oh," I blushed and stuttered. "I'm fine, sensei, I really am. I'm just…" I scanned the board for the lesson. "I was just frustrated about one of these chemical equations… I get it now."

The class tittered with laughter, but the teacher smiled and nodded.

"Okay, then." She said. "Alright."

xXx

A week later from that day, Kaito came back to school, tired, and visibly avoiding Meiko. We settled down in math class, and I asked him what was wrong and why he was gone the whole week.

"Flu," he grinned, "I finally caught the flu, but I'm alive, of course. Alive, but tired as heck. And about Meiko…" he looked at me with tired eyes. "I don't really want to talk about that."

After he finished speaking, he yawned, stretching and laying his head on the desk, promptly closing his eyes. I shook my head. He was like a cat, lazy, but cute…

The teacher slapped a ruler on Kaito's desk, and he bolted straight up with a look of shock on his face. Everyone chuckled, and Kaito flushed a shade of tomato red.

"We know that you've been absent for a week, Shion-san," the teacher said, nodding his head, "but that doesn't mean that you can sleep in class." Kaito reddened even more, and scratched his head.

"Sorry, sensei."

"Apology accepted," he said, swiftly putting down his ruler and returning to the front of the room. "Today, we start chapter nine, lesson six."

The lesson was a fairly easy one compared to the earlier ones in the chapter, and we all finished early with more than enough time to spare on doing other things. I pulled out a sheet of paper, and just as I began to sketch out a picture, the teacher called my name.

"Hatsune-san?"

I jumped, looking up.

"Can you please come here for a moment?"

I nervously smoothed my skirt. What did he want? Was I in trouble? I walked up to him and cleared my throat.

"You called for me…?" I asked, twirling a stray strand of hair around my finger.

"Yes," he said, coughing. "If you haven't noticed, Shion-san has been absent the past week."

"Yeah, he had the flu," I said.

"So he did," the teacher nodded, raising his eyebrows as if he wanted to ask me how I knew. "Well," he continued, "He's been struggling a bit in his lessons, you see, he doesn't understand the lessons because he missed class. This chapter was pretty hard, after all."

"Yeah, I guess," I muttered, shifting uneasily. What did he want?

"So, this is where you come in, Hatsune." My math teacher looked up from his work and stared straight into my eyes. "You're my best student, and he needs help, Miku," he said.

"So?" I asked, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

"So, I want you to tutor him." He said, handing me a slip of paper. "Every Tuesday or any other day after school, you can go to his house to tutor him. That's a permission slip for your parents."

I twitched. "What?" I exclaimed, swallowing. "But…"

He blinked, looking back up at me. "I'm counting on you, Hatsune."


	22. Chapter 22

ohmygoodness. this ffn... is actually going to END.

I NEVER THOUGHT THAT I WOULD ACTUALLY FINISH IT ;-;

well actually, this is NOT the end YET xP

depending on whether i feel like i need to add anything, this chappie (22) is either the SECOND TO LAST chappie or the THIRD TO LAST.

but im pretty sure that 23's gonna be the end.

I FEEL SO ACCOMPLISHED ;;

well, enough of my blabber. hope u enjoy the chappie!

Love,

NekoKoNeko~

* * *

"Where is he?" I muttered fiercely under my breath, scanning the crowded locker hall, searching for my blue-haired otouto.

School had just ended, and Kaito was supposed to have met me at the back gate by now. I checked my watch to confirm it- he was over five minutes

I sighed. Not only was he a procrastinator, but he was a snail in timing, too? Just when I let out a groan, Mr. I-Need-Tutoring himself showed up.

"Sorry!" Kaito grinned, giving me a good-natured grin. "I lost track of time... I promise not to do that again!" he pouted, and I sighed and blushed. Kaito always had the ability to push me around, even though he didn't really have the home court advantage anymore - my burning crush on him.

Now, it was just brother and sister, tutor and student. Nothing more.

Just a mere two weeks ago, my mom signed the slip that allowed me to tutor him. I had come to his house on the first Monday just to discover that he needed a lot more help than I had thought. I had to go to his house five times that week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

His house was absolutely deserted - no one was home.

"Where are your parents?" I shot a quizzical glance at him. He sighed, "Work, like always."

"I thought you had a brother?"

He looked at me sideways. "Akaito? He's in college - and never home."

I snapped my mouth shut. "Oh," I muttered.

He shrugged and opened the math book. "What lesson were we on?"

"Nine dash one..."

"Oh, right."

Today was the third week that I had tutoring him. Despite the extended tutoring sessions, we were still only going over the eighth lesson out of ten.

Even though it was a slow pace, I still thought that it was pretty good considering the fact that we were learning chapter ten at the same time.

We climbed up the stairs, and like every time, he opened the door for me and we entered his room.

"Nine dash eight," I instructed as he opened his book, flipping through the pages. I went over the lesson as he took notes, and finally, I muttered, "Now you try."

He took out a crisp sheet of paper and started solving the equations. I frowned and turned to finish my English homework. Kaito was unusually quiet today...

Being next to my ex-crush always rose questions up from the back of my mind. Normally, I wouldn't ask them out loud because we would be talking, but today seemed a lot different for some reason...

After about twenty minutes of awkward silence, I cleared my throat. He looked up.

"Kaito...?" I asked, looking down at my paper.

"Yeah?"

"You know... you know the time when I liked you?"

He looked at me with a surprisingly soft look in his eyes. "Yes..."

"Well," I said, blushing, "You know how you kept on asking me who I liked?"

He nodded, gesturing for me to continue on.

"Uh, if you already knew..." I looked up at him, "Then why did you ask?"

He smiled, and I felt my cheeks heating up. Thoughts raced through my head. It was no use talking to him, he would probably just say "I don't know," or somethi-

I never got to complete the thought.

"Because," he looked at me quietly and shrugged, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I wanted to know what you would say, if you would tell me or not."

I thought back to all those times when he had asked, and I nodded. Looking back now, he had always seemed a bit... disappointed when I didn't tell him. I blushed and smiled. "Thanks, I was just curious..."

He gave me his signature smile. "Yeah, no problem."

As he went back to his math homework and I pulled out a fresh sheet of printer paper to draw on, my hand took on a mind of its own, and I drew a chain of faces with various expressions on them. There was a sad face, the face of someone who was angry, a happy smile, and another face of a person that was in love... It took me a while to find out that this character I was drawing was in fact myself.

I put down the pencil with a shaking hand and sighed. I wanted to live life to the fullest, get good grades, have fun and all that, but I hadn't realized until now how much I wanted someone to love me.

"Miku?" Kaito's voice brought me back down to earth. However, it wasn't because he had suddenly interrupted my thoughts. It was the tenderness in his voice that made me turn his way.

His gaze was trained on me.

My breath hitched up a notch as he grabbed my wrist with his pale, slender fingers. In seventh grade, he had joked that he had the hands of a girl...

"Miku," he whispered. "I- I think I love you."

His voice cut through my skull like knives, and I blushed a bright crimson color.

At that moment, my brain had fully processed what he had said - I love you. He had told me that he loved me.

_No_.

I shuddered, jumping up and wrenching my hand free of his grasp while knocking the chair back in the process. "Miku?" he cried, alarmed. "I- I'm sorry, maybe I went too far...?"

I shook my head, and as he came near me, I shoved him back, placing my hands on his chest.

"You don't." I breathed, "You don't love me."

Confusion crossed his face as he spoke once again, "Miku, I do! I love you!" his eyes searched my face for an answer, but I turned away from his pleading glance.

"Meiko," I murmured. "It's not me, you love Meiko. It's Meiko! What happened to you? Are you out of your mind?"

He flinched back at my words, trying to reassure me by pulling me into an embrace. "Miku, trust me, I-"

"I'm sorry," I said, looking into his eyes and pushing him to the side. "But I don't believe liars."

I quickly swept all my belongings into my backpack, a faint trickle of a tear snaking down my cheek.

"I'll come back when you decide to tell the truth," I choked out, and ran out of the room, with tears streaming down my face, not bothering to look back again.

I felt his stare boring into my back long after I had left...


	23. Chapter 23

Well, this is it.

This is the LAST CHAPTER of Complications.

Tbh, when i first started this ffn, i thought that no one would review, and no one would even read it. I really wasnt expecting the 70+ reviews and many favorites that I have today.

Thank you all SO SO MUCH for reading complications, and for this one final time for this story:

I hope you enjoy the chappie!

Love Love Love Love,

NekoRamenNinja

* * *

I stepped out of the house, squinting at the blinding sunshine that shone out from over the top of the buildings.

My shimmering aqua hair was pulled into what was now my signature style: in two pigtails, trailing a bit below my waist. My tan uniform and bookbag were neat and in order, but there was no one to impress at this time of day. No one was up and about, I was the only student roaming outside.

I lived five minutes away from my school. The said school began in over an hour from now. So, why was I up so early?

Mostly to think.

His words still lingered, brushing by me like a cool summer breeze, his voice echoing through my mind.

"Miku...I-I think I love you."

My face still burned when I thought of him saying that. He loved me? Please. The last person he would love would be me...

I arrived at school, the normal brisk walk lengthening into a thirty-minute stroll.

_Sakura trees..._

It was spring. The blossoms of the cherry tree opened, blooming into sweet pink flowers that gave off a pleasant odor.

_Talking, chipped white paint..._

I sat down on the bench, and a rush of memories coursed through my veins. When was the last time we really had a personal talk? Did yesterday count?

_Secrets..._

He liked Meiko, he had to like Meiko. He would never like someone like me, never.

_Surprises..._

Yesterday was a surprise. Everything was surprising. But nothing mattered if it wasn't true. Kaito could lie, it wasn't as if he had a face which gave everything away... It could have been a dare.

A dare. That was plausible.

I didn't notice the students filing in the school, teachers parking in parking spaces and hurrying to classrooms, my friends chatting as they bustled around looking for books, and Rin and Len holding hands and walking right past me.

So naturally I wouldn't notice the boy standing right next to me.

He wasn't just any boy. He had dark blue hair and eyes, a broad smile, a pale blue scarf, and a love of ice cream...

"Miku?" he whispered. I jumped.

Although I was startled, I didn't need to look up to know who he was. I could recognize his voice from a mile away if I wanted to.

"Kaito," I muttered, and on second thought, I looked up at him. I was met by his peircing gaze.

"I took things too far yesterday," he said softly, putting a hand on my shoulder hesitantly, as if I was an injured animal and needed special care. "I shouldn't have-"

"It was a dare," I said coldly. "wasn't it."

He shook his head and sat down next to me.

"No, it wasn't." he said. "Maybe it doesn't look like it, Miku, but I meant every word that I said yesterday. I do love you, and I always have."

A shiver ran down my spine. Always? But he loved...

"Maybe I didn't realize it at the time," he murmured, "I didn't realize it when I liked Meiko, when I was at that winter dance and tripping over my own feet, but I've loved you all this time." He whispered. "It just took a while for me to realize it, for it to sink in."

His words sunk in slowly, and my heart quickened its pace. It was the beginning of the year again and I was spinning out of control.

Triple baka, boxes of orange juice, mint chocolate ice cream that melted and ran down the side of the waffle cone and onto my hand...

_"I.. I know who Kaito likes..."_

_"Who?"_

_"M-Meiko."_

The sense of longing, hurt, crying all night, waking up a mess...

_"Miku! Miku, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."_

The confession, admitting to liking someone...

_"Is it... Gakupo?"_

_"Now that wasn't too hard, was it?"_

It became all too much for me, and I stood up.

"Why you?" I sobbed.

Kaito followed me, standing by my side. "Miku?"

"Is that all you can say?" I shot, wiping at my eyes so that tears wouldn't spill out, "Whenever we talk, and I get upset, all you say is 'Miku?' Can't you say anything else?"

I stared at him, straight in his eyes, almost challenging him to say something back. He didn't.

"I..." I began, and my lip trembled and my eyes watered. "I don't know why it always ends up this way! You smile, I fall for you. You laugh, I fall harder. Anything you do can make my day."

Kaito looked at me, opening his mouth in suprise. "But, I..."

I shook my head. "You see," I whimpered quietly, "You always treat me like this. I give up everything to you, and you ignore me. I talk to you, and you run to someone else. I loved you for more than a year. All I got was heartbreak. So tell me why,"

I said, standing close to him and placing my hand on his shoulder, blinking and trying not to burst into tears,

"Tell me why I still love you." I whispered.

He didn't speak, but merely lifted my chin up with one finger. Our heads tilted to the side, and our lips met in a simple kiss. His soft lips tasted like the coolness of the rain and the warmth of the sun captured in one second of a moment, and he lingered a bit before hesitantly pulling away.

Our eyes slowly opened and they locked, his deep blue eyes focused on me as he murmured softly in my ear, "Maybe I wasn't there then, but I'm here now."

The pink blossoms of the sakura trees littered the ground as the wind blew gently and we leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

Again, thank you SO SO MUCH for reading Complications, I am really glad that a lot of people reviewed and enjoyed my story~

I will be writing more fanfictions in the future, and I hope that I will have as many awesome reviewers in the future as i have for this story :D

THANK YOU, i love you all (:


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